Lasting-machine.



P. W. ROBERTS & A. WARD.

LASTING MACHINE.

A PPLIOATION FILED FEB.1,1908.

Patented June 22, 1909.

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I'. W. ROBERTS: A. WARD.V

- LASTING MAGHINE. APPLIOATION FILED FBB.1,1908.

PatentedJune 22, 1909.

FRANCIS WILLIAM ROBERTS AND ARTHUR WARD, OF NORTHAMPTON, ENGLAND.

LASTING-MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 22, 1909.

Application filed February 1, 1908. Serial No. 413,810.

To all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that we, FRANcIs WILLIAM RoBERTs, shoe-machine operative, and AR- THUR VIARD, commercial traveler, subjects of the King of Great Britain, residing, respectively, at 2l Ashburnham road and 40 Birchfield road, both in the town and county of Northampton, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in or Relating to Lasting-Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in lasting machines of the kind in which a pincers bar is suspended from a ball joint and receives motion by means of a cross-head or carrier moving in a yoke-piece which crosshead is suitably operated to give motion to the pincers. Also to those machines in which the pincers receive circular or twisting` motions other than those communicated through the medium of the cross-head.

In pincel-s such as herein referred to for use in connection with the lasting of boots and shoes it is desirable when gripping or working the stock or material that the motions imparted to the pincers should be under yielding control which may be obtained by means of springs or other suitable contrivances adapted to give the necessary yielding control so that the pull or strain may be of a yielding nature, and so not unduly strain or tear the material being worked upon. The extent of the strain or pull may be of a regulated or predetermined kind according to the character of the material under treatment. The yielding control may be rendered more or less pronounced by the operator holding the boot rather loosely and thus allowing the pincers to carry the boot during a part of the travel and so only part of the pull or strain will take effect upon the material. It has not heretofore been proposed to provide for this yielding control of the pull in connection with a rolling or similar motion of the pincers which is applied simultaneously and in conjunction with the motions ordinarily performed by them.

The object of the present invention is therefore to provide for the pincer bar being subjected to a combined twisting and rolling or throwing movement by means of a rack suitably arranged in relation to a yoke piece which is carried by a support or bearing adapted to withstand strains but yet not to impede the movements of the said yoke piece. The rack is arranged to mesh with teeth formed or provided on the pincers bar and the rack being held stationary relatively to the pincers bar the latter is subjected to a rolling motion along the rack. The invention has also for its object to render the motions of a yielding nature capable of variation or adjustment according to the materials being worked upon, so that work of varying character maybe manipulated and acted upon and the lasting be performed in such a manner as to more nearly conform to the process of hand lasting, the Work not being subjected to the strain and distortion incidental to the construction and working of the lasting machines at resent in use.

Further the invention as for its object to improve the operation ofthe pincers jaws by an arrangement of sliding sleeve and extension rods.

In carrying out our invention, a rack may be carried in suitable bearings in a yoke piece, the former being adapted to preserve a fixed position relatively to the latter as far as side motion is concerned but free to rotate in the bearings of the yoke piece so as to preserve its position in relation to the pincers shank which is adapted to engage with the aforesaid rack and which is carried down through a cross-head;` the latter being cut away so as to allow the rack to engage the pincers shank. As the cross-head is carried from side to side of the yoke piece the pincers shank will be given a rolling motion relatively to the rack. The cross-head is controlled by a spring and when working upon the material the rolling motion will also be controlled by said spring and a compound motion of a yielding nature will result. By these means the strain upon the working parts of the machine will be reduced and the risk of breakages lessened. There will also be less risk of tearing the material under operation, and as a further consequence the operation of the machine will be considerably facilitated, and the strain upon the operator lessened. Moreover, by the improved motion results heretofore unobtainable may be secured because the stiffer or stronger the material worked upon the less desirable it is to have a large amount of circular movement of the pincers relatively to the side throw or side motion owing to the tendency to push out the last tack driven in and to cause puckers around the edge of the boot both of which are undesirable and spoil the effects of the work performed, and yet it is necessary that the pincers shall be presented to the material at a definite and predetermined angle which angle will be the same on all descriptions and kinds of material. in this connection it may be remarked that the stiffer the material the more resistance it will offer to the side throw and therefore if the side throw cannot take effect, owing to this resistance, the rolling motion similarly can have no effect for the reason that the rolling motion is entirely dependent upon the side throw motion and works simultaneously therewith. Again, when working upon light or soft material a larger amount of circular motion may be given relatively to the side motion. For instance, if the operator allows the pincers to carry the boot through a part of the side throw travel the whole of the side throw will take place although only part of it is effective upon the bootand the whole of the circular or rolling motion will take place and be effective because the pincers, during this time, will be gripping the material, and the rolling motion which is given to the pincers by taking effect about a point in the pincers aws, the circular or rolling motion is effective upon the boot.

The aforesaid rolling or circular motion is applied at a point on the pincers bar near the work and thus a large amount of torsion stress on the pincers is avoided and the plaiting of the material is rendered more easy of accomplishment. The means of producing the rolling motion may be readily applied to most types of pincers and wiper machines with very little structural alteration and without altering the general style or form of the machine.

The pincers may be of any suitable type but the following` construction may be applied to the type of machine in which the upper pincers jaw receives motion through the medium of a sleeve adapted to work in a vertical direction on the pincers bar. The sleeve may be carried in suitable extensions formed or provided on the cross-head; sufiicient space being provided for the pincers bar to rotate freely in the center. These eX- tensions may be carried through the crosshead in such a manner as not to impede the motion of the rack piece and be arranged so as to meet below the pincers bar and form a hardened cup. The upper pincers jaw may be adapted for free movement in a slot or groove in the pincers bar and be connected to the pincers bar by means of links. lf motion be given to the upper pincers in an upward and downward direction the connecting links will bring about the closing of the jaws with a circular motion whereby a more effective seizure and gathering of the material will be performed.

The upper jaw is operated by means of a connecting pin having rounded ends of which latter one end bears in a cup in the end of the sleeve extensions and the other end in a cup formed in the upper pincers jaw shank. This link or connecting pin is so arranged that, as the pincers close to grip the material, this connecting pin will be in an almost upright position upon the line of rotation of the pincers and thus will more effectively stand any strain that may be placed upon it and also will offer less resistance to the turning of the pincers.

he sleeve maybe moved up and down on the pincers bar by suitable mechanism on the machine, and owing to the aforesaid conneeting pin being connected to the cups by contact only, the pin may be retained in the cups when the sleeve is moved upward by means of a suitably disposed s ring arranged in such a manner as to normalfy hold the upper pincers in the open position and so prevent the disarrangement of the connecting pin.

It will be apparent that whatever the degree of opening of the aws the whole of the pincers will be free to rotate. v

in order that the said invention may be clearly understood and readily carried in to effect we will proceed to describe the same with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure l is an elevation of the front of so much of the machine as is necessary to illustrate our present improvements. Fig. 2 is a corresponding plan. Fig. 3 is an elevation, the view being taken at right angles to Fig. 1. Fig. i is a section taken along the line rof Fig. 3, illustrating the rack and means of ro` tating or twisting the pincers bar. Fig. 5 is a rear view of the pincers bar showing the arrangement of the sleeve and extension rods whereby the opening and closing of the pincers jaws are effected. Fig. 6 is a view partly in section and partly in elevation illustrating the construction of the pincers jaws. Fig. 7 110 is a view illustrating a means of operating the jaws by means of links. Fig. 8 is a front view of a portion of the device.

The pincers bar a is suspended as usual from a suitable part of the machine by means 115 ol'` the ball a whereby it is rendered free to rotate. rlhe lower end of the pincers bara is formed or provided with jaws l) b', the former l1 of which is fixed relatively to the pincers bar and the latter b adapted to be moved 120 so as to close upon and recede from the said fixed jaw b. The pincers bar a as will be seen passes through a cross-head or carrier c which serves to guide the said bar in its movements. The crosshead or carrier com- 125 prises vertically and horizontally arranged tubular sleeves, c c2 respectively, formed in a single block or in one piece and located at right angles to each other. The horizontal sleeves c2 c2 are carried in a bi-part yoke 130 piece d d having bearings Z2 d2 for the reception of the sleeves c2 c2, the parts d cZ of the yoke piece being secured together by bolts d3 cl3 passing through the flanges or lugs d4 d4. The said yoke piece is adapted to receive a reciprocating motion in the direction of the arrow (see Fig. 2) by any suitable device on the machine and in operative connection with the spindledx. By means of a rod chaving a ball connection with the spindle or rod e on which the cross-head c is mounted the latter is operated or moved the machine being adapted by suitable mechanism to impart the desired motion to the said rod and consequently to the crosshead c, the said motion being in a direction at right angles to the motion of the yoke piece (d) and laterally in relation thereto. By suitably adjusting these combined movements it will be readily understood that the crosshead c and consequently the pincers bar a may be moved in any direction required.

The sleeves pertaining to the crosshead or carrier are embraced by bushes or collars f formed on brackets or pieces f f the latter carrying a rack g which may be secured by means of bolts g/ g and which meshes with teeth a? formed on the pincers bar a; the crosshead c is slotted or cut away on the face adjacent to the rack to enable the teeth of the latter to engage or mesh with the teeth on the said bar. The collars or bushes f f are adapted to rock slightly in the bearings of the yoke piece but any lateral motion thereof is prevented by the flanges f2 on the said collars or bushes. Upon the crosshead c being removed laterally, in relation to the yoke iece Z cZ, the pincers bar a, owing to its teet a2 being in mesh with the rack g, will be caused to roll upon the latter and thus a combined lateral and circular or turning motion will be imparted thereto. A yielding control is applied to the pincers bar combined movement by means of a screw threaded socket c3 into which is screwed a hollow nut c4; a spring (not shown) resides in the said hollow nut and is adapted to exert a pressure upon a lever ZL which in its normal condition rests u on the pins or studs h h projecting from t e cross-head c. By turning the nut c5 more or less the screw c4 may be caused to allow the spring to contract or expand more or less and so the tension of the spring and consequently the degree of control above referred to may be varied or adjusted to the desired extent. In order to enable any desired extent of adjustment to be maintained the crosshead c is formed with a slotted or split part c, a clamping screw c7 enabling the parts to be tightened so as to hold the screw c4 rmly therein. From the rod e projects a pin e2 with which the forked end i of a rockin@ piece or lever i engages, the rocking piece eing supported by a stud cs projecting vfrom the crosshead or carrier c. The arrangement is such that the rocking piece z' normally bears against the lower side of the lever Zi and is thereby maintained in position by the spring pertaining to the hollow screw c4.

Having described the relative positions of the parts whereby the pincers bar a derives the beforementioned lateral and rolling motion we will describe the action of these parts in connection with the combined movements. The spindle or rod e is actuated reciprocatively or endwise by the rod e whereupon the rod c/ will move the pin or projection e2 out of alinement with the pincer bar a and by rocking the piece i thereby raises one end of the lever Zi and actuates the spring pertaining to the screw c4 so that the said spring operates through the end of the lever ZL which bears upon its adjacent stud h and moves the crosshead or carrier c and consequently the pincers bar a to one side of the normal center line and across the rack g. By means of the projection 0X on the crosshead or carf rier c the rocker h is restrained from moving off the studs h h. A movement of the rod e in the opposite direction will effect a movement of the pincers bar to the other side of the normal center line; these movements of the pincers bar are thus effected against the resistance of the spring before referred to so that the necessary yielding effect isobtained and the pincers are prevented from tearing the material under operation.

Upon the pincers bar a is mounted a sleeve Zr into which the extension rods 7c 7c are secured by set screws k2 7a2. These rods 7c are extended through the crosshead or carrier c and terminate in a connecting plate 7c3 beneath an abutment a3 on the bar a. The jaw Zi is carried by a rod Z screwed into the said jaw and passes through the connecting plate and upwardly into a recess Z formed in the bar a, the rod Z being adapted to rotate freely in the said recess and in the connecting plate Zes. The rod Z is formed or provided with a ilange or collar Z2 which takes a bearing upon the connecting plate 7c3. The pincers jaw Z2 is guided by means of an embracing plate b2 secured to the lower end of the bar a the said plate forming a recess for the j aw Z1 to slide in and serving to maintain the said jaw in alinement with the lower jaw Z).

The action is as follows As the sleeve Zr is operated downwardly by means of a rod m, having a ball connection at m with the said sleeve, the extension rods 7c and the conn ecting plate also move downwardly and the jaw b at the upper part being in contact with the connecting plate 7c3 the said jaw will be caused to descend and close upon the iixed jaw Z2. Similarly if the sleeve 7c is moved upwardly the effect will be to raise the jaw Z9 from its position of grip and so release the material from the pincers. Whatever may be the extent of opening or closing of the jaws it will be seen that the pincers bar a toi Letters Patent of the United States is 1. In a lasting machine, the combination of a pincers bar and a single yieldingly controlled operating means ior imparting a yielding lateral and rolling movement to said pincers bar.

2. In a lasting machine, the combination of a pincers bar, and a spring controlled crosshead for imparting a combined yielding lateral and rotative movement to said pin eers bar.

3. In a lasting machine, the combination of a pincers bar, teeth formed on said pincel-s bar, a stationary rack engaging with said teeth, and means for imparting a combined yielding lateral and rotative movement to said pincers bar.

4. In a lasting machine, the combination of a pincers bar, a yoke piece and a crosshead carried in said yoke piece and adapted to impart a yielding lateral and rotative movement to said pincers bar.

5. In a lasting machine, the combination of a pincers bar, a crosshead imparting a combined lateral and rotative movement to said pincers bar, and means i'or rendering said combined lateral and rotative movement of a yielding character.

6. In a lasting machine, the combination of a pincers bar, teeth. formed on said pincers bar, a stationary rack with which said teeth engage, and a spring controlled cross head supporting said pincers bar and imparting a combined lateral and rotative movement thereto.

7. In a lasting machine, the combination of a pincers bar, teeth formed on said pincers bar, a stationary rack with which said teeth engage, a crosshead supporting said pincers bar and imparting a combined lateral and rotative movement thereto, and means for rendering said combined lateral and rotative movement ol' a yielding character.

8. In a lasting machine, the combination oi a pincers bar, a sliding sleeve thereon, a sliding-ly movable jaw, a connecting plate, extension rods connecting said plate with the sliding sleeve, a revoluble rod passing through the connecting plate, and a single yieldingly controlled o erating means for imparting a yielding atei-al and rolling movement to said pino-ers bar.

In testimony whereof we aIiiX our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

FRANCIS WILLIAM ROBERTS. ARTHUR WAHI).

llVitnesses WILLIAM ROBERT Mone-AN, ALFRED GEORGE SUMMERs. 

